Written by

CSU volleyball coach Tom Hilbert, shown here Sept. 9 during a match, goes for his 400th win at CSU tonight when the Rams travel to Greeley to take on the University of Northern Colorado. / Dawn Madura/The Coloradoan

CSU’s volleyball team is in the middle of a tight race for the Mountain West Conference championship. Winning the remaining league matches and earning a fourth consecutive conference title has been a focus for weeks.

And even though tonight’s nonconference match at the University of Northern Colorado has no bearing on that goal, it still has special meaning.

CSU coach Tom Hilbert will be looking for his 400th win with the Rams. In his 16 seasons, Hilbert has accumulated a 399-103 record at CSU.

“I had no idea it could be 400,” Hilbert said Monday following practice. “I swear. I don’t care. I just want to win the Mountain West title. I guess I’m going to get 400 at some point, but I’m just not into those numbers.”

Hilbert said that the significance of reaching 400 with one school is special. He went 174-72 in eight seasons at Idaho before coming to CSU. He is 573-175 in his 24 seasons as a head coach.

“When you’ve been at the same place for a long time, that’s pretty cool,” Hilbert said. “To be here at CSU 16 seasons is cool. You don’t see that much in this profession. I’m proud of that.

“CSU has done a good job supporting this program and allowing us to recruit good players and run a good program. That’s a big part of that number.”

As for tonight’s match, it is the first of three this week for the Rams (17-7 overall,10-3 MW). CSU will play Thursday at Air Force and Saturday at Boise State.

The Rams still trail San Diego State by a game in the conference standings. CSU likely needs to win the two league road matches this week and beat New Mexico in the regular season finale at home Nov. 23 to win the championship.

Should both the Rams and Aztecs win out, CSU would hold the tiebreaker because they swept San Diego State at home. The Aztecs beat the Rams in four sets in San Diego.

Northern Colorado, meanwhile, should provide a test for the Rams. The Bears are 19-9 overall, 12-6 and in fourth place in the Big Sky Conference. UNC is 11-5 at home this season, including a win over Oklahoma.

“They’re good, and it’s a good rivalry,” Hilbert said. “It’s not a big deal playing them late in the season. But when I made the schedule, I had no idea the gravity of what conference would be like. It’s a little distracting, but we’ll be all right.”